HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-20 Jessica Conner, MSW Testimony
From: Jessica Conner
To: Planning LPC Testimony
Subject: BAN data centers
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 6:49:50 PM
Welina mai kākou,
My name is Jessica Conner and I live in Kailua-Kona, HI. I am writing to support the intent
of Bill 170 and asking the Planning Commission to recommend additional strengthening
changes before sending it back to the County Council.
Bill 170's current language uses subjective phrases like "industrial-scale operation" and
"beyond that typically accessory or incidental to office, commercial, or public
institutional uses." Those phrases don't set a clear line, and a well-resourced
developer's attorney can argue around them either way. I'm asking the Commission to
recommend a clear, objective definition of "data center," distinct from the county's
existing "data processing facility" definition. I'm also asking the Commission to reject the
Planning Department's recommendation to add smaller data centers as a permitted
use. Our ‘āina and wai must hold importance over these centers that are actively
damaging earth. The proposed change would open a legal pathway for data centers here
rather than close one, with no discretionary review of grid impact, water, noise, or
anything else.
Our island's closed water system, fossil-fuel-dependent grid, and already strained
infrastructure cannot support data centers. Our children don’t need data centers. They
need clean air, water available to drink and use for harvest, and to be able to grow up
and have a future where Mālama ‘Āina exists with integrity.
Please recommend the strongest possible version of this bill.
Mahalo piha
Jessica Conner, MSW